Dick Francis (Author of To the Hilt) edit data Dick Francis CBE (born Richard Stanley Francis) was a popular British horse racing crime writer and retired jockey. Dick Francis worked on his books with his wife, Mary, before her death. Dick considered his wife to be his co-writer - as he is quoted in the book, "The Dick Francis Companion", released in 2003: "Mary and I worked as a team. ... I have often said that I would have been happy to have both our names on the cover. Mary's family always called me Richard due to having another Dick in the family. I am Richard, Mary was Mary, and Dick Francis was the two of us together." Series: Dick Francis - Biography - IMDb Dick Francis Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (1) | Trivia (19) Overview (3) Richard Stanley Francis Mini Bio (1) Dick Francis learned to ride when he was five, on a donkey. His older brother offered him sixpence if he could jump the fence sitting backwards on the donkey.

It took five tries, but the determined five-year-old did finally manage to stay on the donkey as he jumped the fence. He collected the sixpence from his brother and earned his first riding fee. Of that experience he says, "In my heart, from that moment, I became a professional horseman." He became an amateur steeplechase rider when he was 26, and two years later began riding as a professional steeplechase jockey. He won more than 350 races, and was retained as jockey to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for four seasons. Perhaps his most famous and controversial ride was on the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch, in the 1956 Grand National. Fifty yards from the finish line, with the race virtually won, the horse just suddenly fell. Afterwards, they could find nothing wrong with the horse, and the mystery as to what happened has never been solved. Soon after, at 36, Francis decided to retire as a jockey. He became a racing correspondent for the Sunday Express and published his first book, an autobiography entitled "The Sport of Queens," in 1957.

His first mystery novel, "Dead Cert," was published in 1962. Since then he has written an average of a mystery per year, to the delight of his many fans. He writes about what he knows best, and each novel touches on racing and horses in some way. The mysteries are more than simple "horse stories," though, as Francis uses his descriptive style to bring to life heroes who are actors, artists, photographers, bankers, contractors, wine merchants, inventors, diplomats, teachers, pilots, meteorologists - and the list goes on. Francis speculated in his autobiography that he would be remembered as "the man who didn't win the National", but to his many fans around the world, he will always be the definitive Master of Mystery. - IMDb Mini Biography By: AZNikkiD@aol.com Spouse (1) (1947 - 30 September 2000) (her death) (2 children) Trivia (19) He was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of Order of the British Empire) in the 2000 Queen's Birthday Honors List for his services to literature.

The events in the lives of some of his characters were based on his own experiences and those of his family. In "Knockdown", Jonah Dereham suffers from a dislocating shoulder, something from which Dick Francis suffered after he was thrown from a horse during a race. In "Forfeit", James Tyrone's wife is crippled with polio, with which Dick Francis's wife Mary was afflicted following the birth of her first child. In "Twice Shy", Jonathan Derry is a physics teacher, as was Felix Francis, Dick Francis's younger son. In "Driving Force", Freddie Croft runs a horse transport business, which Merrick Francis, Dick Francis's elder son, used to do. Talking after the death of Dick Francis, his son Felix said about the rumours that his mother was the real author of the books: "It was the worst-kept secret in publishing. Dick Francis was *always* known by all the publishers to be two people. My mother always called my father Richard. And to me, my father was Richard and my mother was Mary, and together they were Dick. Was it Mary or was it Dick who did it? Well it was neither - they did it together.

Everyone knew that - there was no mystery, no hoodwinking.". In his biography of Dick Francis, Graham Lord alleges that Dick's wife, Mary, was the main writer of the books, on the grounds that Dick's poor educational background would preclude him from writing so eloquently. Dick and Mary worked as a team: Dick devised the plots and wrote a first draft and Mary then improved the grammar in places. Mary also did a lot of the non-horseracing research for the books: she learned to paint for "In The Frame", she learned to fly and ran an air taxi company for "Flying Finish" and "Rat Race", and she became a proficient photographer for "Reflex". Dick Francis has received numerous awards including the Silver Dagger award from Britain's Crime Writers Association for "For Kicks," the Gold Dagger award for "Whip Hand," the Diamond Dagger award in 1990, and three Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Awards, for "Forfeit," "Whip Hand," and "Come to Grief," as well as the Edgar Award for Grand Master in 1996. Dick and Mary had two sons, Merrick and Felix (born 1953).

Merrick owns Lambourn Racehorse Transport Ltd, which transports many of the horses of Lambourn, England; it is the largest horse transport business in Europe (as of the late 2000s), and he has trained horses, as well. From 1973 to 1974, Francis was the Chairman of the prestigious Crime Writers' Association. He wrote an autobiography, "The Sport of Queens," with the help of his wife Mary, refusing to employ a ghostwriter; it was published in 1957. In 1957, Francis went to work as a racing correspondent for The London Sunday Express, a newspaper where he worked for 16 years. In 1957, at the age of 36, he retired at the top of his profession. Many of his characters are jockeys who are approaching the mid-30s and fearing retirement, or ex-jockeys who remember that fear and wish they could keep racing. In 1954, he began riding the Thoroughbred horses of Queen Elizabeth II in races at many racetracks. "Queen's Jockey" is a prestigious occupation.

At the peak of his career, Francis rode in as many as 400 races a year. He was ranked among the top jockeys in Great Britain in every one of the 10 years that he rode. In 1947, he married Mary Brenchley, a former publisher's reader; she helped editorially on all his books. In 1946, he made his debut as an amateur jockey and, in 1948, turned professional. He served as a pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II. His wife Mary, years later, also learned to fly. Their expertise is evident in the 1966 novel "Flying Finish.". Like his character Sid Halley, Dick Francis dropped out of high school at the age of 15. Dick Francis began riding show horses at the age of 12 and always aspired to be a jockey. Dick Francis was the son of George Vincent Francis and Catherine Mary (maiden name, Thomas) Francis. His father and grandfather were both horsemen - his father a professional steeplechase jockey and a stable manager - and Dick was riding from the age of 5.

Francis's novel Whip Hand won both the Gold Dagger Award and the Edgar Award for Best Novel. It is one of only two novels to do so. The other is The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carre. See also Dick Francis Book List - FictionDB Thriller Aug-2010 Shell-shocked and missing a foot-lost to an IED during his tour of duty in Afghanistan-Captain Tom Forsyth has been sent home by the army and, at loose ends, returns to his estranged mother's house for the first time since he joined up at seventeen.... Thriller Sep-2009 On the first day of Royal Ascot, the world's most famous horse race, the crowd rejoices in a string of winning favorites. Ned Talbot has worked all his life as a bookmaker- taking over the family business from his grandfather- so he knows not to expe... Thriller Sep-2008 Geoffrey Mason isn't terribly disappointed when his client Julian Trent is found guilty. Despite being paid handsomely as Trent's defense counsel, he believes Trent needs to be locked up for a good long time. He only wishes it had happened more quick...

Suspense Sep-2007 Max Moreton is a rising culinary star, and his Newmarket restaurant, the Hay Net, has brought him great acclaim. But when nearly all the guests who enjoyed one of his meals at a private catered affair fall victim to severe food poisoning, his kitchen... Sid Halley - 4 Former Champion Jockey Sid Halley knows the perils of racing all too well--but in his day, jockeys didn't usually cross the finishing line with three .38 rounds in the chest. And this is precisely how he finds jockey Huw Walker-- who had won the cove... Suspense Sep-2000 After his friend is killed in a horse-racing accident, up-and-coming glass artisan Gerard Logan finds himself embroiled in a deadly search for a stolen videotape. His friend had it. Some very bad people want it--and they think Logan's got it. Believ... Suspense Oct-1999 The catastrophic power of a giant hurricane can raise coastal waves thirty feet high and blow through houses at devastating speeds. For TV meteorologist Perry Stuart, however, such predictions are generally hypothetical, as he chiefly predicts period...

Suspense Sep-1998 New York Times bestselling author and four-time Edgar Award -- winner Dick Francis presents a "fast-paced" (People) collection of thirteen tightly-plotted tales featuring murder, mystery, and mayhem in the horseracing world..."Whether it's an elegy f... Suspense Sep-1997 New York Times bestselling author Dick Francis is "one of our most reliable storytellers, a master of understated suspense." (San Diego Union-Tribune). With this newest novel, he maintains his status and offers a compelling story of a father and son ... Suspense Sep-1996 New York Times bestselling author Dick Francis, "master of crime fiction and equine thrills" (New York Newsday), presents his latest and most engrossing novel. Black sheep of a prominent family, Alexander Kinloch is content to paint pictures and play... Suspense Oct-1993 New York Times bestselling author Dick Francis presents his thrilling new novel: the story of architect Lee Morris who inherits a partial ownership in the Stratton Park racecourse--and with it, a dangerous position among the warring upper-class famil...

Suspense Oct-1992 Transporting racehorses to the course is big business for ex-jockey Freddie Croft. He runs his fleet of vans and their drivers with tight reins, strict security, and everything on the up-and-up. But one driver breaks a cardinal rule--never pick up a ... General Fiction Sep-1992 Best-selling authors Dick Francis and John Welcome bring us a richly entertaining collection of classic horse racing stories by authors past and present. Here are selections from Damon Runyon, whose Pick the Winner introduces us to the unforgettable,... Suspense Oct-1991 They say you should never go back. Most people do, however, survive a peek at their childhood environs. But when globe-hopping British First Secretary Peter Darwin goes home, he not only risks his own hide, but those of others--including racehorses. ... Suspense Nov-1990 The master thriller writer and world-renowned champion steeplechase rider has selected these fourteen classics of short fiction to represent the most enthralling of all stories about horse-racing.Inside, you'll find a stableful of thrills and a few s...

Suspense Oct-1990 His agent has always known that John Kendall, writer of travel guides to harsh terrains, is impulsive. But taking an assignment because he needs money hardly seems a rash act, and off to rural England Kendall goes to interview his subject, a successf... Suspense Nov-1989 As Derek Franklin, an injured steeplechase jockey, nears the end of his career, he is thrust into trouble and mayhem by the accidental death of his older brother, Greville. “I inherited my brother’s desk, his business, his gadgets, his enemies, h... Suspense Feb-1989 "BEWARE. MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM" So proclaims the ad for the Great Transcontinental Mystery Race, a glittering rail junket that not only promises the opportunity to race a thoroughbred on some of the world's great courses, but somethin... Suspense Mar-1988 With his five ex-wives and the nine children between them, it's no great surprise that spectacularly wealthy gold trader Malcolm Pembroke should preside over a motley clan in constant conflict with one another. But when violent death strikes the l...

Suspense Apr-1987 Rob Finn was a bit of a misfit: a struggling young jockey in a family of accomplished musicians, a man in love with a beautiful woman who wouldn't have him because they were first cousins, a rider who--just as it looked like he'd break into racing's ... Kit Fielding - 1 Blood ties can mean trouble. Kit Fielding, proud heir to tradition and sporting hero to legions of fans, learns this lesson to his rapidly mounting regret. His close, even telepathic kinship with his twin sister, Holly, draws him into a crusade to sa... Suspense Mar-1985 Wine merchant Tony Beach is no stranger to personal tragedy--or to the world of fine vintage wines. But when hidden hit men literally--and brutally--crash a society party he has, as usual, expertly catered, Tony finds himself caught in the terrifying... Suspense Apr-1984 Kidnapping is Andrew Douglas's business: they take them, he finds them. But it isn't so simple when Alessia Cenci, golden-girl jockey, disappears, followed by the young child of a derby winner and the senior steward of the Jockey Club.

From Ita... Suspense Apr-1983 Young investment banker Tim Ekaterin suddenly finds himself involved in the cutthroat world of thoroughbred racing--and discovers his unexceptional world of business blown to smithereens. When the multimillion-dollar loan he arranges to finance th... Suspense 1982 Young physicist Jonathan Derry is given some musical tapes by a friend. But the tapes are really an elaborate computerized horse betting system that can make the owner a rich man--or a dead one. Once again, high-speed thriller-master Dick Francis wea... Suspense Mar-1981 Dear Sir, I am sure you will be interested in the enclosed photographs, which I was happily able to take a few days ago in St. Tropez. As you will see, they show you in a compromising position with the young lady who is known as your daughter. ... Suspense May-1979 Randall Drew, gentleman horseman, didn't want to accept the prince's assignment. But one of the royal-family members wanted to ride in the Moscow Olympics and somebody was threatening to kill him if he did. And nobody knew who or why or how. ...

Sid Halley - 2 Sid Halley had been a champion jockey. But those days were lost in a fall beneath 500 pounds of horse that cost him his left hand and his racing future -- and fractured his marriage in the bargain. Now medical and engineering science have provided... Suspense May-1978 Roland Britten was an amateur jockey, and an accountant by profession, who woke up one morning and found he couldn't move his hands. He also could not see. And all he could hear was the noise of an engine, very close by. He finally decided he was lyi... Suspense Mar-1977 Charles Todd is an English artist who is well known and respected for his renderings of sleek and athletic horses. What he now faces at his cousin Donald's house is also art--the art of a perfectly brutal murderer. Donald's home has been burglariz... Suspense Apr-1976 FAST-PACED THIEVERY AT THE TRACK ! Steven Scott, a successful, wealthy inventor, has a lucrative hobby--horse-racing. His reputation as an owner is staked on Energize, a beautiful black hurdler. Scott has every-thing going for him, including a gor...

Suspense Mar-1975 Mrs. Kerry Sanders, that very wealthy American lady, had engaged Jonah Dereham, ex-prize-winning jockey, to buy a steeplechaser for the son of a special friend. The son was Nicol Brevett, an aggressive young man with a sudden, dangerous temper. Bu... Suspense Feb-1973 Man's man, ladies' man, and superman on screen, Edward Link is a simple family man at home until a beloved friend, dying in South Africa, calls him to her bedside for one last favor. It will mean playing all his most dangerous movie roles in real lif... Suspense 1973 A British jockey disappears from a Norwegian racecourse . . . leaving behind a very pregnant wife, and vanishing without a trace. Was it impulse or design or . . . something else? For investigator David Cleveland, any conclusion seemed impossible.... Mystery 1973 'Show me a man or woman who cannot stand mysteries and I will show you a fool.

A clever fool -- perhaps -- but a fool just the same' RAYMOND CHANDLER Ever since its creation in 1953, the Crime Writers' Association has celebrated and champione... Suspense Mar-1971 The bomb took a second to detonate. Public impact lasted three days. The investigations dragged on for weeks. But the four passengers who had been aboard the sabotaged aircraft were miraculously unharmed. Meaning that somewhere lurked a dissatisfied ... Suspense 1971 Violence suddenly takes the lead in the life of Neil Griffon. Following a grisly accident that lands his father in the hospital, Griffon finds himself in charge of his father's stables. Before he has a chance to get his bearings, he is brutally assau... Suspense Jun-1969 Jockey Kelly Hughes and trainer Dexter Cranfield had been barred from racing --a devastating event for both of them. The charge at the secret enquiry: throwing a race for personal profit. It was a vicious frame-up with no official redress. But Hughes... Suspense Jun-1969 James Tyrone was a sports writer for the Sunday Blaze with a reputation for sniffing out trouble.

When Burt Chekov died a violent "accidental" death after a drunken disclosure, Tyrone smelled a story. That story led straight to the center of a pow... Suspense 1967 When English agent Gene Hawkins told his boss he'd forego his vacation to search for millionaire Dave Teller's prized missing stallion, he didn't know his retainer would include the attention of his boss's beautiful teenage daughter--or Teller's sel... Suspense 1966 When Henry Grey piloted his first cargo for Yardman Transport, he thought he was carrying only racehorses and broodmares out of England. But it soon became apparent that something else was aboard. Something he wasn't meant to discover. Something t... Suspense 1965 Daniel Roke didn't want the job. It didn't matter that the man who called himself the Earl of October was offering more money than he'd ever imagined. Daniel couldn't leave his Australian stud farm to go help look into an English horse-doping scandal... Dick Francis - Book Series In Order Hardcover Paperback Kindle Dick Francis was a famous British steeple chase jockey and author of crime novels.

This internationally acclaimed writer had published numerous novels in his lifetime which resonated well with horse riding lovers all over the world. He had a penchant for weaving intriguing stories which revolved around crime that took place among horse riding communities. Every book had a central character who was narrating the story which enables writers to see life through his eyes. Over forty of his crime books had topped different international booklists due to his exceptional story telling abilities. Personal life Born Richard Stanley Francis on 31st October 1920 in Coedcanlas, Pembroke, in Wales. Dick Francis was just his pen name which he had chosen to use because it is more memorable. His father was a jockey and was also employed to manage a stable at a firm in Berkshire, England. He dropped out of school at fifteen years intending to become a jockey like his father and ended up becoming an instructor in 1938. At the onset of the World War II, being young and energetic he enlisted in the military where he served as a crew and later a pilot in the Royal Air Force. He worked with the fighter and bomber aircrafts such as the Hurricane. Most of the air travels in his six years of military work took place in distant continents, mostly Africa.

Dick Francis was married to his late wife Margaret Brenchley whom he had met in October of 1945 at a cousin’s nuptials. They tied the knot in 1947 despite encountering objections from relatives on both sides. They were blessed with two sons, Merrick and Felix in 1953. In most interviews, the two disclosed that theirs was the proverbial love at first sight, something the author replicated in some of his characters such as in the Flying Finish novel, knockdown and the Edge. His wife succumbed to a heart attack in 2000 at their home in Cayman Islands. Later in 2006 Dick Francis also started having health problems, heart had developed some complications which necessitated him to undergo a heart bypass in that year. The following year, he lost his right leg due to his failing heart. He eventually died a natural death on 14 February of 2010 at his Caribbean abode leaving behind his two sons. Horse Racing Achievements Horse racing was his first passion before he decided to become a writer. Soon after leaving the force in 1946, he participated in numerous horse races in Britain.

He won close to 400 horse races in the British National Hunt Racing which propelled him to stardom in the horse racing world. He was the Champion Jockey in the 1953-1954 periods. His exploits with horse racing did not end on the pitch; he also worked as a first jockey for Vivian Smith, which was considered to be a great honor in those days. He even served as a jockey for the England’s royal family. It was during his work as the Jockey of Queen Elizabeth that he made his biggest blunder in his horse racing career during his famous fall at a racing competition. He missed winning the Grand National in 1956 when the horse he was riding, Devon Loch which belonged to the queen, mysteriously fell just before reaching the finishing line. This was the lowest moment in his racing career. Not surprising however, he had sustained many injuries due to this sport since he was 12 years old to his adulthood. The loyal Queen’s adviser persuaded him to stop racing in 1957 to avoid getting more broken bones over the same. His novels also depicted this in his characters, most of whom suffered injuries in accidents when racing.

Writing vocation This was his other passion in life besides horse racing for which he was also famous. The first book he penned was his autobiography The Sport of Queens which was published in 1957 for which he was the ghost writer. The book’s success got him a job at the London’s Sunday Express newspaper as a correspondent since it proved him to be an authority in horse riding events. This career spanned for over a decade and he did it dutifully for the next sixteen years. In 1961, his first thriller Dead Cert was published. It was set in the world of racing which had become second to nature to him. His vast experience in that lifestyle gave him a lot of content to use in his imaginative stories. Over the next 38 years, Dick Francis became engaged in writing over seventy novels. He was dedicated to writing at least two books each year with the exception of 1998 when he wrote a collection of crime related short stories. He was a genius when it came to creating characters that were neither too real nor too fictional. Most of his readers felt that they could somehow relate to these fictitious heroes.

He took great care not to paint them as having supernatural powers and tried to make them as human as possible. The heroes, despite being horse racers, they always had another job on the side, their lives were not entirely intertwined with horse racing, occasionally, the characters could extricate themselves from it and pursue other careers. They could be a private investigator, an artist, pilot, wine merchant, or an ex- jockey who is no longer active in racing. Some of his famous works include In the Flame, To the Tilt, Odds Against, Whip Hand, Come to Grief, Under Orders, The Edge, The Rat Race and Proof among others. The author was also fascinated by other people’s jobs which he exhaustively analyzed in his books. The heroes in his stories were usually given the roles of the narrator to heighten the suspense and create dramatic effect. He also explored social issues like dysfunctional families which he incorporated expertly in his stories to make an interesting read. Dick Francis wrote his books with the help of his wife Margaret. He acknowledged his spouse’s input in his writing once during an interview saying that she was the one who used to carry out research for the books’ contents.

No one could have guessed this strange twist of events but that is how the author got to accomplish his literary feats. Dick Francis, former jockey and best-selling author, dies at 89 | Daily Mail Online comments Former jockey turned best-selling author Dick Francis died today at the age of 89. Francis was one of Britain's most famous steeplechase jockeys and achieved even greater celebrity status as an international best-selling thriller writer. As a champion jockey who for four seasons rode for the Queen Mother, he took part in 2,305 races from 1948 to 1957 winning 345 of them. Probably his most famous race for his Royal patron was the 1956 Grand National, when he had been on course for certain victory when his horse Devon Loch collapsed. Crime writer and former jockey Dick Francis, who has died aged 89 Francis retired after a bad fall just a few months later. That same year he published his autobiography and five years later his first novel, Dead Cert.

It was the start of a prolific writing career that saw a new novel published every year in at least 23 languages, with the Queen Mother reputedly one of his most enthusiastic readers. Francis was handed an OBE in 1984 and then made a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 2000. His last three novels were written with his younger son, Felix, a former teacher, who had previously helped research much of his work. Today, Felix said he was 'devastated' as he paid tribute to his 'extraordinary' father. The writer's spokesman said he was 'rightly acclaimed' as one of the best thriller writers in the world. The novelist had been living on the Cayman Islands in his latter years. A spokesman said he had died of 'old age'. His son said in a statement: 'My brother, Merrick, and I are, of course, devastated by the loss of our father, but we rejoice in having been the sons of such an extraordinary man. 'We share in the joy that he brought to so many over such a long life.

It is an honour for me to be able to continue his remarkable legacy through the new novels.' Francis wrote a volume of short stories, an autobiography and the biography of Lester Piggott. Even Money, written with Felix, was published in September 2009 and Crossfire, the pair's new novel together, is due to be published this autumn. Honour: Dick Francis and his wife Mary after receiving his CBE in 2000 With his OBE in 1984 (L) and (R) in the 90s with one of his best-sellers Richard Francis was born in Tenby, the younger son of a horse broker and moved to Maidenhead in Berkshire as a boy. Horses were in his blood and hunting and showjumping were his first loves. At the outbreak of war he wanted to join the cavalry but in the end he joined the RAF in 1940 as a bomber pilot. He was demobbed in 1946 and went to work in his father's stables where he was a steeplechase trainer's assistant and an amateur jockey.

In 1947 he married Mary Brenchley, whom he had been courting for two years. At first Mary, a teacher who became a stage manager, refused to marry him as she wanted to pursue her career. But when he finally won her round it was the beginning of what became an almost legendary happy marriage, with Francis dependent on her not just for love, support and companionship but also as a researcher for his books and a sounding board for ideas. He became a professional steeplechase jockey in 1948 and was retained by Lord Bicester. In 1953 he also joined Peter Cazalet's yard, where many of the Queen Mother's horses were trained and rode for her frequently. He won the title of Champion Jockey in the 1953/54 season and his success continued until the fateful day at the 1956 Grand National when Devon Loch collapsed beneath him just 50 yards from the Aintree finishing post - one of the most inexplicable mysteries in the history of the National. The questions and furore surrounding the incident brought about an even more significant sequel for Francis because he was urged on to write his autobiography 'The Sport of Queens'.

1956: Dick Francis riding Devon Loch, the Queen Mother's horse, in the Grand National. It was winning before appearing to jump a phantom fence in the final straight. By the time it had recovered, it had been overtaken So close: Francis walks off the racecourse after the bizarre collapse on Devon Loch His writing opened doors to a new career and following a particularly bad fall at Leicester in January 1957, one in a long and painful list of injuries he suffered throughout his career, he took Lord Abergavenny's advice to 'give up at the top'. Shortly after his autobiography was published he became a racing correspondent for the Sunday Express. He had never been interested in school work as a boy and in the face of this new career he turned to his wife Mary for lessons in basic spelling and punctuation. He found journalism in itself an education in concise writing which he found invaluable when he turned to writing novels. His first thriller was Dead Cert, published in 1962, and by the time Nerve was published two years later critics were coming to the firm conclusion that this former steeplechase jockey-writer was an evens favourite with the prospect of many more winners to come.

His books were all set against the background of the racing world and his heroes all had similarities, the strangest of which was that nearly all of them had a physical handicap. Only one of his heroes, Sid Halley, was allowed to feature twice, first in Odds Against and later in Whip Hand. Sid, a moral as well as a physical cripple, among all Francis's characters was recognised as being closest to the author's heart. Royal patron: Francis was jockey to the Queen Mother (pictured right) Pen in hand, Francis relaxes. His books were all set against the background of the racing world Francis recalled in an interview that it was Whip Hand more than any of his other books which put him through an emotional upheaval. None of his heroes had intellectual or artistic interests, they were classless - almost anonymous but they were very intelligent. The success of his books lay in the immediacy of his narrative, its vigour and its simplicity. At the same time he showed a subtlety and originality in both the setting and the denouement of problems. The images were powerful, vivid and often macabre and there was a realism which was undoubtedly due to the tireless research both he and Mary put into the books.

For the bodily agonies he put his characters through, he could primarily recall his own experiences of numerous broken bones during his riding career. He and his wife travelled the world for accurate details and Mary even learned to fly for the book Flying Finish, published in 1966. A further outcome of that was that the couple started an air taxi business together with their friend Lester Piggott. Their friendship led to Francis writing Piggott's biography. When Piggott was jailed for tax offences the world's press turned to Francis for more information but Francis made it clear he knew nothing. He said: 'Lester had made it plain that he didn't want to talk about money - that was his most sensitive subject.' In 1987 the couple moved to Florida, mainly to help Mary's health as she suffered from asthma. They sold their Berkshire home but kept a boat on the River Thames for their two sons' families to share. They also continued to have an annual family reunion at Paignton.

Meanwhile, Francis received accolades from all quarters, including The Edgar Allen Poe Award in 1970 and 1980, Gold Dagger Award 1980 and Cartier Diamond Dagger Award 1989, all for best crime novel of the year, as well as the OBE. His eldest son Merrick followed his father into the horse racing world as a trainer and their younger son Felix went into teaching but later became his parents' manager. Mary, to whom he was married for 53 years, died in 2000. Even Money, written with Felix, was published in September 2009 and Crossfire, the new Dick and Felix Francis novel, will be published later this year. Dick Francis: Quotes, Personal Life, Horse Racing Career, Writing Career, and a List of Books by Author Dick Francis Quotes more ï¿½ ï¿½ less "Crime to many is not crime but simply a way of life.

If laws are inconvenient, ignore them, they don't apply to you.""I wondered to what extent people remained the same as they'd been when very young; if one peeled back the layers of living one would come to the know child." Personal Life more ï¿½ ï¿½ less Francis was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Some sources report his birthplace as the inland town of Lawrenny, but at least two of his obituaries stated his birthplace as the coastal town of Tenby. His autobiography says that he was born at his maternal grandparent's farm at Coedcanlas on the estuary of the River Cleddau, roughly a mile north-west of Lawrenny. He was the son of a jockey and stable manager and he grew up in Berkshire, England. He left school at 15 without any qualifications, with the intention of becoming a jockey and became a trainer in 1938. During World War II, he served in the Royal Air Force, piloting fighter and bomber aircraft, including the Spitfire and Hurricane.

In October 1945, he met Mary Margaret Brenchley (17 June 1924 - 30 September 2000), whom he married in June 1947 in London; they had two sons, Merrick and Felix (born 1953). In the 1980s, Francis and his wife moved to Florida; in 1992, they moved to the Cayman Islands, where Mary died of a heart attack. In 2006, Francis had a heart bypass operation; in 2007 his right leg was amputated. He died of natural causes on 14 February 2010 at his Caribbean home in Grand Cayman, survived by both sons. Horse Racing Career more ï¿½ ï¿½ less After leaving the RAF in 1946, Francis became a celebrity in the world of British National Hunt racing. He won over 350 races, becoming champion jockey in the 1953—54 season. From 1953 to 1957 he was jockey to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

In 1957 he was forced to retire from racing as the result of a serious fall. His most famous moment as a jockey came while riding the Queen Mother's horse, Devon Loch, in the 1956 Grand National when the horse inexplicably fell when close to winning the race. Writing Career more ï¿½ ï¿½ less Francis wrote more than 40 international bestsellers. His first book was his autobiography The Sport of Queens (1957) which led to him becoming the racing correspondent for London's Sunday Express newspaper, remaining in the job for 16 years. In 1962 he published his first thriller Dead Cert, set in the world of racing. Subsequently he regularly produced a novel a year for the next 38 years, missing only 1998 (during which he published a short-story collection). Although all his books were set against a background of horse racing, his heroes held a variety of jobs from artist (In the Frame and To the Hilt) to private investigator (Odds Against, Whip Hand, Come to Grief, Under Orders-- all starring injured ex-jockey Sid Halley).

Francis is the only three-time recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for Best Novel, winning for Forfeit in 1970, Whip Hand in 1981, and Come To Grief in 1996. Britain's Crime Writers Association awarded him its Gold Dagger Award for fiction in 1979 and the Cartier Diamond Dagger lifetime achievement award in 1989. In 1996 he was given the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award, the highest honour bestowed by the MWA. He was awarded a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000. In 2003 he was honoured by being awarded the Gumshoe Awards' Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award. Many of Francis' books are featured in volumes of Reader's Digest Condensed Books. Francis' manager (and co-author of his later books) was his son Felix Francis, who left his post as teacher of A-Level Physics at Bloxham School in Oxfordshire in order to work for his father and who was the inspiration behind a leading character in the novel Twice Shy.

His other son Merrick, formerly a racehorse trainer, later ran his own horse transport business, which inspired the novel Driving Force. He was elected in 1999 a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

Question: The author Dick Francis was formerly famous in which sport?
Answer: Horse racing